I have long been as reluctant to discuss charitable donations as I have wages, viewing transparency about both as the same sort of social gaffe. However, the spirit of the Slate 60 has convinced me that being open about the dollar amounts one donates is a net good. I think Mohtalim ought to have an annual friendly competition for charitable giving. I personally haven't donated anything to anyone in 2008 yet, so I'm starting on an even keel.

Dang, I just realized that I've already been sending the United Way money each pay period this year. So, okay, I have already started. But there you go, I'm just setting the bar. In 2008 I am giving the United Way $600, of which I have sent them $175 so far.

I give $25/mo to the NFB and I usually give between $10/mo and $30/mo to KQED radio depending on how rich/poor I feel I'll be for the upcoming year. I think this year I'm giving $10/mo because of other significant expenses. That puts me at $35/mo so far this year or $140. Darn Jonathan's beating me at giving away money... Can I count tuition as a charitable donation for the purposes of this competition? :-p

One of things I learned at school is that it's actually not illegal to discuss your wages no matter what your employer says. They can frown upon it, but that's about it. I think it's really only a social gaffe to talk about wages because employers try to make it so.

I just sent some to Obama and $50 to the Oregon Food Bank. Apparently Obama could use the money.

One issue I have been wrestling with is that occasionally street folks will solicit me for money so they can sleep in a hostel. I don't give them money, but being able to offer them a hostel bed (or part of one) would be awesome. For example, Amber usually carries unvalidated train tickets around with her. When street folks ask her for seventy five cents so they can get enough to buy a ticket, she just offers them a ticket. Most folks decline, because what they really want is money, but the ones that actually need to go somewhere are thankful. Amber also knows the contact info of the local women's only shelters so she can tell pregnant women where to stay, which again is helpful. Anyway, I don't think prepaid hostel tickets exist. Hostel gift cards?

I'm still sending the United Way $600 this year because I am retarded and couldn't figure out the web interface thingy. Also, I gave the Portland Rescue Mission $100; they're serving almost twice as many folks per day as last year due to the economy.

10 of 14 $1+ billion donations were from Americans. The rest were like a Swiss guy, a Latino, a Hong Kong guy, and somebody else. Which is another way of saying philanthropic donation to complete strangers is not a widely held virtue, even in cultures that value, say, hospitality.

This year, I'm in @ $600/yr to United Way plus $300/yr to Gifford Pinchot Task Force. I've sent a little to Haiti, and I need to send some more, but I can't quite decide between Mercy Corps and Habitat for Humanity.